Stowers shines as Sissonville improves to 2-0

GLEN DANIEL - Not that he wants to do it, but Sissonville coach Eddie Smolder will take the results.

The coach missed a bulk of the team's preparations for Liberty Raleigh this week with the flu. On Friday night, his team came out and made the homestanding Raiders sick.

Trent Stowers scored four touchdowns, two on the team's first two possessions, both on receptions and two late in the half, as the Indians rolled to a 59-21 win.

The final two came over three plays late in the second half and gave the Indians a 46-13 halftime lead, more than enough to help Sissonville improve to 2-0.

"That was a big momentum swing," Smolder said. "We pride ourselves on great defense and that was exactly what we did. I want to give [assistant] coach [Henry] Lanham and the staff a lot of credit. They really did a good job preparing the team when I was out with the flu this week."

Liberty fell to 1-1.

"We just didn't come out to play," Liberty coach Jeff Alexander said. "We were flat. You can't beat anybody when you turn the ball over five times. But give them credit. They have a good team."

After the Raiders got a 1-yard run from Joey Lacek to make it 30-13 with 4:15 left, Stowers took over.

The senior scored on a 5-yard run and then, two plays later, stepped in front of a Lacek pass and returned it for a score to make it 46-13.

"That was big, because we really needed a spark. We were looking for anything, and we just didn't get it," Alexander said.

"He's that kind of athlete," Smolder said. "He started for us at receiver when he was a freshman. He can do whatever we need him to do. Our thing is to take what the defense is going to give us, and tonight that was what they gave us."

Ryan Moore hauled in a short toss from quarterback Lacek and went 78 yards to pull the Raiders within a touchdown at 15-7, but it never got any closer than that.

The Indians rolled up 472 yards of total offense.

Crawford (12 of 18 for 204 yards and two scores) scored on a 1-yard run and Jarrett Mowrer added another 1-yard TD run with 6:22 left in the half.

Lacek completed 7 of 12 passes for 155 yards. Wright, who replaced Lacek late in the third quarter, had 55 yards on eight carries in the second half.